Travels and Explorations of the Jesuit Missionaries in New France, 1610-1791, Vol. 9

Excerpt from Travels and Explorations of the Jesuit Missionaries in New France, 1610-1791, Vol. 9: The Original French, Latin, and Italian Texts, With English Translations and Notes; Illustrated by Portraits, Maps, and Facsimiles; Quebec: 1636 Le Jeune hopes much from the hospital for the Indians, which some pious friends at home are proposing to establish in Canada. He also anticipates good results from the education, in the French manner, of several little native girls who have been given him for that purpose; these, he expects, will become the wives of Frenchmen or of baptized savages, and thus exert a great influence in civilizing their countrymen. He also desires to establish at Quebec a seminary for the youth of both races - the native schools at Notre Dame des Anges being too remote from the settlement, to be available for the children of the colonists. The writer recounts various minor superstitions current among the natives, also some of their legends concerning the Manitou. The versatile superior next describes with admiration the skill with which the beaver constructs its dwelling. He mentions the attempt made by Montmagny, the governor, to domesticate the native elk; and hopefully anticipates the time when this animal may be trained as a beast of burden, thus greatly aiding the labors of both the missionaries and the colonists. He also has a plan for a "park," in which beavers may be enclosed and raised on a large scale, for both their skins and their flesh. Turning easily from natural history to social and economic conditions, the superior surveys the present state of Canada: he congratulates the Hundred Associates on their efforts to support the colony; describes the fortifications, new buildings, and other improvements at the French settlements; mentions the rapidly-increasing population; and praises the peace, simplicity, and honesty that prevail in the community. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.